SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara men's basketball returns to the Leavey Center on Thursday evening to host Pacific for a 7:00 p.m. PT showdown on ESPN+. The Broncos are looking to break a three-game losing skid after falling 71-70 in their last outing over the weekend against San Francisco. Anthony Passarelli and Ben Ross will have the call live from the Leavey Center.
The Broncos (15-10, 6-4) nearly picked up a key victory on the Hilltop, but last-second free throws pushed the Dons ahead for the victory, despite a brilliant in-bounds play with just 1.4 seconds remaining that just missed giving Santa Clara a buzzer-beating win. Jake Ensminger, making his first collegiate start, was outstanding with 10 points and 11 rebounds for his first-career double-double while Johnny O'Neil continued his high level of play with a team-best 12 points.
O'Neil is averaging 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds over Santa Clara's last six games.
Pacific enters the contest still looking for their first conference win after a series of close calls. Led by Leonard Perry in his third season, the Tigers are averaging 65.3 points and 27.1 rebounds per game while allowing 77.5 points to their opponents. Judson Martindale leads the team in scoring with 10.1 points per outing while Moe Odum averages 8.9 points in addition to a team-best 4.8 assists (second in the WCC).
This will be the second meeting of the year between the teams. In game No. 1, Santa Clara knocked down 15 treys en route to an 88-69 victory in Stockton. O'Neil was responsible for six of those treys and finished with a season-best 23 points. The Broncos have won five of the last six and 10 of the last 13 against the Tigers, however Pacific was the victor the last time the teams met inside the Leavey Center, pulling away late for a 95-89 win last season.
For more information, check the game notes link for both teams above.
Tickets
Single game and season tickets for all men's basketball home games are available now. Mini game plans in groups of four, six or eight games are also available. Please contact the Bronco Ticket Office at 408-554-4660 or email broncotickets@scu.edu to learn more about your options or visit our ticket central.
